The 2025 National and State Human Trafficking Statistics

Effective responses to human trafficking require foundational data on the constantly evolving facets of exploitation globally, nationally, and locally. 

The use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit someone for profit—such as through sexual exploitation, forced labor, debt bondage, and domestic servitude—human trafficking impacts an estimated 27 million people worldwide. According to newly updated 2025 statistics, over 268,700 human trafficking victims in the U.S. have been reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) since 2007, including 5,954 in Pennsylvania.[1] 

The NHTH calculates only cases reported to the hotline. Experts estimate the number of victims reaches 1 million in the U.S. alone 

Extremely profitable and embedded within global supply chains, individual decisions and economic and social systems can both complicitly and unwittingly impact human trafficking.[2] The following data analysis therefore can help guide anti-trafficking policy, policing, prosecution, and practical consumer ethics and community awareness. 

National Statistics

NHTH’s updated data includes the number calls/texts/etc. to the tipline, case and victim identification and demographics, and venues where cases occurred. According to the most recent 2025 data:

• NHTH identified 15,085 cases involving 21,457 victims, totaling 268,723 known victims since 2007.  

• As in previous years, the majority of cases involved sex trafficking (6,201 v. 2,400 labor trafficking) and females (9,931 v. 3,272 males).

Identified cases increased in 2025—reaching the highest level since single year recording began in 2015—while the number of victims held relatively steady. Reporting decreased during the 2020-2023 COVID-19 pandemic years when victim reporting and identification mechanisms faltered.[3]

Pennsylvania Estimates

The NHTH has identified 5,954 trafficking victims in Pennsylvania since 2007. In 2025, both nationally and in Pennsylvania, identified cases increased for the fourth straight year, reaching their highest number since 2015. Identified victims, however, dipped to 2023 levels. Specifically in 2025:

• Nearly 300 cases impacted 497 victims. Where known, the majority of victims were female (227 v. 65 male) and adults (202 v. 52 minors).

• Sex trafficking accounted for 144 cases primarily in the illicit massage/spa businesses venue, followed by residence-based commercial sex. 

• Labor trafficking accounted for 52 cases, including the restaurant/food business and agricultural work. 

Pennsylvania ranked 10th among U.S. territories for its percentage of reported tips and 12th for reported cases. Exempting several data outliers, Pennsylvania’s high ranking has remained consistent since 2015.[4]

Community Restoration

Traffickers continue to target Pennsylvania victims—with exploitation of women in the  illicit massage and commercial sex sectors leading reports. This underscores the importance of promoting policies that enhance prevention and detection and expanding victim restorative services.   

Every community member has a role in spreading awareness, advocating for solutions, and helping victims access services to end the cycle of exploitation.  

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[1] “Human Trafficking,” UNODC, https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/human-trafficking.html; “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage,” International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration (2022), https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---ipec/documents/publication/wcms_854733.pdf;  “National Statistics,” National Human Trafficking Hotline, https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics. Note, according to NHTH, “data presented here does not represent prevalence data, nor should it be considered a representative sample of all trafficking situations or trafficking victims in the United States.”

[2] “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage,” International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration (2022), https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---ipec/documents/publication/wcms_854733.pdf; Global Slavery Index, “Modern Slavery in the United States,” Walk Free (2023), https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/country-studies/united-states/. 

[3] “2021 National Human Trafficking Hotline Data Report,” National Human Trafficking Hotline (2023), https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/National%20Report%20For%202021.docx%20%283%29.pdf;  “2020 National Hotline Annual Report,” National Human Trafficking Hotline (2021), https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/National%20Report%20For%202020.pdf. 

[4] “Pennsylvania State Report for 2021,” NHTH (2023), https://polarisproject.org/resources/.